I would like to announce that I am offering a $50 bonus to Workshop Instructors whose students purchase a New Star Camera this year. I am planning an expansion of the business and plan to stock several popular camera types this year. Thanks, Ray Morgenweck The Star Camera Company

Ray ~ Your on. I have had more than a couple students of mine already buy from you. I will talk your camera boxes up from here on. Do you have any brochures? Let me know. Your old friend and pard>>>Will Dunniway

I am working on a simple three fold brocure, best shot now is the old trusty web page www.geocities.com/starcameracompany

Ray, I'm currently teaching a young lady LF photography. It's possible as I learn wet plate work, that I can progress Chelsea into wet plate work as well. Now comes the hard part, she's blind. Not the kind of blind that can't see anything but black, but she sees about 3 feet in front of her, and what she sees are colors and light values, with fuzzy lumps. She attracted me since she had a keen eye, (pun intended) for shapes. I saw a bunch of her digital work since it was all auto focus. What I started her out on is pinhole to get her comfortable with working the film holders. She will shortly be learning about the Fotoman 45ps. Would you have any thing that would be easy for a blind lady to work with? She likes handles since it gives her a sense that when she lifts the camera it is not going to fall. It's a security thing.

Ray, Robert Hall if you google him for Roberthall and photography you will get his website and phone number. He has sent you a couple of emails about modifying an 8x10 to do wet plate work. He would really like to get this done.

Aggie,

I think a Kodak Brownie 3B might be very easy for your friend to use as long as she was content doing tintypes/aluminotypes rather than glass plates. The cameras are surprisingly sharp for their simplicity, fixed focus, and very easy to adapt to wetplate. I imagine something akin to a speed finder frame could be adapted to them to facilitate framing the scene for someone with low vision if they wished. This size Brownie will do quarter plates and there were also larger 4x5 models but they seem much harder to find now.

Another option would be something like a Speed Graphic with a standard film holder modified for wetplate work. Those cameras have substantial leather carrying straps, speed finders built in, etc.

A simple box wetplate camera with carrying handle could also be built, again using modified film holders. A lens with rack-and pinion focusing makes such a box camera very functional. There are pics on the other wetplate forum that illustrate the holder modification.

I have access to a digital camera for about a week so I could do some jpeg snaps of a converted Brownie, my quick-and-dirty box camera, and a modified film holder to send to you if you wish.

Joe

Thank You Joe! I'm very proud of Chelsea. I started her out on pinhole work to get her use to film holders and how to insert them. At first I did this as a project to highlight in Emulsion, but once I found out more about her background and how she got shunted around in school I was angry and it became a personal crusade to teach her and boost her battered ego. She is a great girl, and a quick learner. What she sees are images up to three in front of her. They are not distinct but fuzzy lumps of color and tones. She hates canes, so I had to learn to lead her. At first I took her arm, then she stopped me and said, "No I take your arm and this is how you move so I know what direction to go." She showed me the moves. She was even bright enough when she was close to catch me three times putting the camera on the tripod backwards. Of course I had to say I meant to do that. Talk about the blind leading the blind (clueless me).

So any suggestions ya'll might think of to help get her going would be muchly apreciated.

Aggie,

You might also try photograms with her. And maybe making and coating a handmade photographic emulsion. Here's a pic of a 9'x9' cyanotype on muslin we did at an art camp for visually-impaired kids one summer in Michigan. The kids had a ball collecting things for it and participating in it. If you look carefully, you'll see Tiffany and her cane, a leader dog, Polaroid Colorpack cameras (another type that might work with your friend) and some stuff from the art camp like ferns, woodworking clamps, wood chisels, a view camera, and clay sculptures, etc.

[attachment 280 cyanph.jpg]

They also made their own pinhole cameras and contact-printed the results. Big cameras and big negatives make it work for them. (Also digital stuff blown up large on screens.) They also loved darkroom stuff liked developing sheet film. Contrary to popular thinking, photography can be very appealing to low-vision individuals. In many cases the still image lets them see things better because they can scan details close-up over time rather than fleeting images usually before them. And, even the totally blind kids at camp brought their own cameras with them and passed around photos. They may have needed others to describe the content of the prints to them, but once that was done, the photos documented and sparked pleasant memories for them just as they do for sighted individuals.

Here's another photogram a totally blind student made on something called a Solarplate (normally used in printmaking applications). The plate produces physical relief so the kids could also feel the image. I also have some examples of larger floral cyanotype photograms they made on large sheets of watercolor, but unfortunately I don't have scans of those.

[attachment 281 solarplate.jpg]

I did this for 4 summers with the kids and we always had an art exhibit in town following the camp. Their opening was included in the local Friday night "Art Hop" put on by the local arts council. (One year it was covered live by MSNBC.com) The kids had a great time exhibiting their photos, paintings, writings, etchings and soapstone sculptures which BTW they made from raw blocks of rock and roughed out initially with power tools. Here's an example:

[attachment 282 Cait1.jpg]

I'll also add that they were very adept at navigating the wooded paths at night and I was often the one who needed an arm to be guided through the woods after dark.
Joe

Aggie et. al,

I've attached a couple jpegs of the simple Brownie 3B conversion I talked about earlier. The corners have been epoxied flush to the surface of the roller assemblies which have also been glued to prevent them from spinning. The corners were cut from the trophy aluminum plate material some use as a ferrotype substitute. After gluing the corners in place the interior and the ruby window were spray-painted flat black. The camera takes a quarter-plate metal sheet which is positioned on top of the corners. I take a small amount of crumbled paper towel which wedges between the collodion plate and the back of the camera to keep the plate from moving when the camera is closed. Images from this camera are surprisingly sharp. I wish glass would fit inside so ambrotypes and negatives could be made, but there is not enouugh room so use is limited to thin metal plates.

Joe

[attachment 298 wetplate_3Ba.jpg]

[attachment 299 wetplate_3Bb.jpg]

Now if I could get you or Ray to make me one of those I would be set. I just find I'm totally swamped with projects, and have no time to make this great camera. Thanks for showing me and telling me about it. You're great Joe!

Aggie